A/N: Hello, my babies! *waves frantically* How are we? Have you eaten today? Drank something other than gross energy drinks that'll likely shorten your lifespan? *looks away, just as guilty as anyone else. It's me I'm calling out here* What about move around? When was the last time you did that? Because I know if I don't do that at least once every half hour or so, my knees are locking up and I'm in pain. You don't need that. Learn from my mistakes, little ones. Learn from my mistakes. I say, well aware there are people that read this older than I am…Still, my babies, learn from my mistakes!
Now, as for last week…I told you there'd be a plot twist. The thought of Soichiro coming so close, yet being soooooooooooooooooooooooooo far away…It's got me thinking about what it'll be like when he does find out it's not Sayu he should've been worried about. The thought of going the homophobic route makes me queasy, so I'm not going to do that to you. Just getting that out of the way now. I know a lot of people would, but there's too much of that in the world already. Hard pass. Now, how about we actually get into this week's chapter now, yeah? Alright…*chu* I love you x.
Light knew better than to leave Sayu alone for very long. Especially when he's moving into a new place. Knowing my luck, Sayu would be like a cat, just barely on this side of rubbing her face all over everything. However, when he walked into his unit, Sayu was still in the middle of the living room, looking around in complete awe of what L gave Light. Little did she know the pretext of why L was giving this place to Light.
"This is huge!" Sayu gasped, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was bigger than our house."
"I don't think I'd go that far," Light chuckled nervously. Always the excitable one, Sayu.
"I would," she scoffed, "You really get to live here, Light?"
"Last time I checked," he nodded.
"You know," Sayu threw herself into the overly plush leather couch, "I think this might be bigger and better than your old place."
"Yeah…"
"Light?" Sayu started to notice her brother keeping her at arm's length, "Is everything ok?"
"Can I ask you something?" Light sat next to her, the conversation between his father and L still fresh in his mind.
"Sure," she allowed, "What's up?"
"Why would Dad be asking L about you?"
"I don't know," Sayu looked at Light strangely, "Dad never said anything to me about L."
"He said you were dancing with him last night," Light explained, "What was that all about?"
"I did!" she chimed, "I remember that. Actually, believe it or not, it was kind of nice. Why? Are you jealous?"
A little, but I'm not going to tell Sayu something like that. That'd be like signing a death warrant. Just what I need is Sayu with something to rub in my face, "That's beside the point. What have you been up to?"
"Nothing!" Sayu swore, "Honestly, Light, you're so paranoid."
"Sayu," Light knew better. Sayu couldn't lie to him to save her life. And in a way, Light was almost grateful for that.
"Alright," she caved, moving a little closer to Light, "Don't tell him I told you any of this, ok?"
"I won't."
"So," Sayu confessed, "L comes to me when he needs advice on…Well…You."
"Really?" Light wondered, "Why? He could just…You know…Talk to me."
"Not always," she winced, "Look, Light. I love you. I really do. Deep in the pit of my heart of hearts, I love you. You are the best brother I'll ever have."
"I'm the only brother you'll ever have," he pointed out.
"So, no competition," Sayu teased, "But some things, L just…Finds it easier to ask me. Simple as that. And because of that, we've sort of formed a friendship."
"Oh," Light let it go. That's actually kind of sweet and wholesome. And it's nice that L cares enough to get advice from my sister about me. But then, reality set in for Light, "Hold on a second, Sayu."
"What?"
"What all have you told him?" Light started to sweat, "Because there are certain things in this world I tell you in complete confidence."
"I don't ever tell him anything major," Sayu promised, "Don't worry, Light. I know better. I just answer his questions. Sometimes, I don't answer them completely, but I give him enough to leave it alone."
"Ok," Light could breathe again. But one thing lingered on his mind, "Have you…Did you ever tell him about her?"
"Nope," she shook her head, "Not a word about her. I drew the line at talking about your exes. That wasn't my place. Not only that, but I didn't know enough about your exes to give him the good stuff."
Without another thought, Light threw his arms around his sister, "I love you, Sayu."
"I love you, too." Oh, Light. If you knew the shit I've told L, would you still love me? If you knew about me telling him about the exact way to push your buttons, would you still hug me like this? Because I have a feeling you'd want to push me into oncoming traffic first.
"Are we interrupting something?" L walked into the room with Soichiro following him like a shadow…An angry, looming shadow.
"No," Light let Sayu go, "Everything's fine."
"So?" L dropped it, "What do you think? Have you made the house a home yet?"
"Not yet," Light shook his head, "And I'm only staying here until I find my own place. Got it?"
Is that the cover story we're going with, Light? I mean, it's not like it's not totally plausible, "Alright."
"It's not bad," Soichiro took a quick look around. This place is bigger than our house. His old penthouse was pretty big, too, but this might be a little bigger. What would I know? I was there once when he moved in.
"No expense was spared in the construction," L assured him, "All the technology is not only state of the art, but easily adaptable. Everything else was left to a design team."
I'm sure there wasn't. Soichiro still wasn't quite sure what to make of L. He wouldn't hesitate to jump to his defense with the rest of the task force. Mostly because he valued L's brilliance. Aside from that, L was still an enigma. Then again, L was an enigma to most. Still, something about L made Soichiro uneasy. He couldn't finger on what that might be, but he knew there was something…Something…off…about him.
"I'll be fine, Dad," Light assured him, calming his nerves a little.
"I know, son," Soichiro put a hand to Light's shoulder, "You're living in a building with likely the best security system in the world. Right, Ryuzaki?"
"Yes. He'll be perfectly safe." L confirmed. Especially when he'll be with me. I may not look it, Mr. Yagami, but I'm a lot stronger than I look. And that strength comes out even more when I'm pissed. And I'll be damned if someone goes near what's mine without a fight.
"Ok…" Soichiro let out a little sigh of relief. As long as he's ok. He never spoke about the last time he had to come home. I wasn't going to push him. We don't need to go through that again. He doesn't need to go through that again, "Come on, Sayu. We should be going."
"Ok," Sayu wasn't going to fight him. She had no reason to, "See you later, Light!"
"Sayu," Light stopped her before she could leave.
"Hm?"
Without another thought, Light threw his arms around his sister, making sure to keep quiet in her ear, "You're welcome anytime. You know that, right?"
"I know," Sayu laid her head in her brother's shoulder.
"Just…" Light bit the inside of his cheek, "Make sure you call first."
"And make sure you both have pants on?" she teased.
"Sayu!"
"That was a joke, Light," she giggled to herself. Somebody's touchy.
"It wasn't that," Light clarified, "It was just to make sure I was home to let you in. The security system can be kind of a pain in the ass to maneuver if you've never done it. That's why I got access to the button. And that would mean calibrating you into the system and you don't need that."
"Oh…" Sayu let it go, "Ok."
"Come on, Sayu," Soichiro called to her.
"Coming!" Sayu ran off, "Bye, Light! Bye, L!"
"Bye, Sayu," L smiled a bit. And just like that, Soichiro and Sayu were gone.
"You seem awfully close with my sister," Light noticed.
"She's a sweet kid, that one," L admitted, "I like her."
"And we wonder why my dad got so pissed," Light joked.
"I'd never dream of it," L slipped his hand in Light's, "You, on the other hand…Oh, I've had all kinds of dreams with you in them."
"I'm sure you have," Light hid his face, feeling his cheeks get warmer with every passing second.
"And I know you have about me, too," L teased, "By the way, Light…"
"What?"
L kissed his cheek, "Thank you."
"You're welcome?" Light wondered, "What was that all about?"
"For staying."
"You offered me a spot in the tow…"
"Not just staying here," L explained, "I have a lot of respect for your father, but sometimes, he does scare the hell out of me. And when you said he wanted to see me about something, I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. My thoughts instantly went to you. And I know you've said that wasn't something you were ready for yet. That was fine."
"Mine did, too," Light agreed, sitting down on the couch, "I thought he found out about us somehow…Do you think we'll ever tell him?"
"Not until I do something silly like ask for your hand," L jabbed, cuddling up next to him, "Or…You know…After this case is done. Then, I wouldn't be working with him anymore and it might make things a little less awkward. I was so happy to see you at the top of the stairs."
"I wasn't going to just abandon you, L," Light took his hand, "You could've left me in the bathroom with Mikami. You didn't have to come after me. But you did. Call this me paying you back for it."
"No," L shot him down, "I've told you from the beginning, Light. I don't ever expect anything in return from you. I do what I do for you because I want to. Pay me back, don't pay me back, it doesn't matter. It's already done and there's nothing we can do about it after that. But enough of that. We don't ever have to bring up Mikami again."
The thought of Teru Mikami made L nauseous. Especially in the bathroom. God only knows what he would've done to Light if I hadn't stepped in. Light had already told him no, but Mikami doesn't know how to take a hint. Even when it's being bashed over his head. As if acting on instinct, L pulled Light into his chest and showed no signs of ever letting him go. The sudden affection caught Light off guard, but he wasn't going to say no. He shut his eyes, content with the world.
"Ok," Light promised, "Never again."
"Now that we have that behind us," L suggested, "Would you like to see your real unit?"
"Yes please."
L pushed himself up, then pulled Light along. And the two of them left for a room at the end of the hall, shut off by double doors and a keypad. L punched in a few numbers and pushed them both open. Meanwhile, Light sat back and watched in absolute awe. Is that really necessary? This building is already incredibly secure. Does our door need a keypad, too? Light shook it off and followed L into a room slightly bigger than the other. And slightly nicer.
"Home sweet home," L wrapped his arms around Light. Hard to believe I never thought I'd have a domestic life. Yet here we are. What have you done to me, Light Yagami?
"I thought home sweet home was about six thousand miles west," Light teased.
"No," L shook his head, bringing Light down to the couch, "This isn't too bad. I kind of like it here. I've found cafés I like and the sweet shop in Shibuya even though I have a hard time walking in there myself."
"I've always wondered that," Light admitted, "Why can't you go into the sweet shop in Shibuya?"
"It's a lot of bright colors," L explained, "It makes my head hurt…Like…In a way, it's like sticking a massive needle directly into my head and I can't handle it. That's why I send you instead."
"Oh," Light let it go, "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did," L pointed out, "You mean, you want another question?"
"Please?" Light's voice softened, sending pure, wonderful shivers through L.
"Alright," L allowed, "What is it, Light?"
"Are we still going out tonight?" Light asked.
"If you want to…"
"I think I do…" As much as Light wanted to go out with L, one other question burned in his brain. Something his father said to him, "You know…My dad was worried you'd abuse my new living situation for work purposes. You're…Not going to do that…Right?"
"Of course not," L promised, "Light, in all the ways I could milk this situation, trust me. Work would be the last thing on my mind. For when you're not on the clock anymore, I have Watari to do just about anything I ask him to. When you're off the clock, you go back to being my boyfriend instead of my assistant. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Light nodded, "I got it."
"Actually," L thought for a moment or two, "We could stand to discuss some changes to your contract. But we'll do that over dinner tonight. Is that alright?"
"That's fine," Light got up from the couch and gave L one last kiss, "When do you want to leave?"
"Soon," L told him, "I'm getting kind of hungry."
"Fine…" The second Light turned around, L saw an opportunity. A beautiful, perfect opportunity. And he couldn't pass it up if he wanted to.
SMACK!
"Hey!" Light squeaked, nursing the tingling on his ass.
"Go on, Light…" L insisted, a smirk on his face. That ass is mine. And you know it.
Later that evening, L and Light took off for a restaurant in Ginza. Light didn't think it'd be a place where L would be ok, but alas…There they were. After Light talking about how many times Misa would take him to Omotesando, L could only do one thing. Any way he could one-up her, he would gladly take. And Light wasn't exactly going to say no to that. It stroked his pettiness in just the right way and it gave L the opportunity to spoil the one he loved most.
"I don't know…" a voice from a couple tables away sent chills down Light's spine. And not in a good way, "I think I just need a good night out and I'll be ok again."
"Light?" L barely spoke above a whisper, "Are you alright?"
"Joy," Light slinked down in his chair.
"What's wrong?" he worried.
"It's awfully cold in here," Light grumbled, "She's here."
"Light!"
Oh, God…Why? Why can't we just have a nice night alone?
